Eating Disorders
By: Tabitha Goldsmith & Alexis Estrada
Causes of Eating Disorders
Psychological Factors
- Depression, anxiety, anger, stress or loneliness
- Troubled personal relationships
- Cultural pressures that glorify "thinness" or muscularity and place value on obtaining the "perfect body"
- Often run in families. Significant genetic contributions to eating disorders.
Anorexia
Many people that have anorexia nervosa see themselves as overweight even when they are clearly underweight. Eating food and controlling weight becomes and obsession , they usually weight themselves repeatedly .
Symptoms
- Extreme thinness
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Extremely restricted eating
Long term effects
- Thinning of bones,
- Brittle hair and nails
- Yellowing and drying of the skin
Bulimia Nervosa
Patients with bulimia nervosa have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. Binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors.
Symptoms
- Chronically inflamed and sore throat
- Worn tooth enamel
- Severe dehydration
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Low body temperature
- Long-term problems with bowel movements
- Osteoporosis
Binge-eating
Binge-eating is characterized by compulsive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop.A binge eating episode typically lasts around two hours, but some people binge on and off all day long.
Symptoms
- Frequent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating
- Feeling extremely distressed or upset during or after bingeing
- Inability to stop eating or control what you're eating
- Eating even when you're full
- Type 2 diabetes
- Gallbladder disease
- High cholesterol
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
Sources of Help
- Support groups
- Call the helpline 1-800-931-2237
- Treatment Centers
- Therapists & Counselors
- Self help
Body Image Statistics
Eating Disorders Comparison Chart
Society
Society distorts the mind on the perception of beauty.